The Sanchaya, Bintan Island

This unique resort hugs a stretch of a precious silver-sand beachfront on the island of Bintan, only 50 minutes by ferry from Singapore. Elegant and exclusive, the Sanchaya’s clean lines, graceful architecture, and the shimmering 50-meter infinity pool seduce with a promise of a relaxing, sophisticated stay.

The serene ambiance of the Sanchaya must have been the first thing that made us fall in love with the place. The well-rehearsed welcome and the gracious demeanor of the staff, combined with the refined architecture and interiors, made a very favorable first impression.

The resort entices with a thoughtful take on the quasi-colonial style, fusing classicist grandeur with a breezy tropical vibe. You could easily mistake the main building, designed as a sprawling European-style mansion only a few years ago, to have been built in the 1920s.

Elegant Playground

Designed to echo the historical heritage of the colonial period in Indonesia, The Sanchaya makes the nostalgic charm its main theme. Wooden decks and hardwood parquet floors, bamboo screens and Chinese-style cabinets, antique wooden writing desks stocked with artisanal stationery, and an assemblage of antiques, old travel posters, curios, books and old brass objects of various purpose all create an attractive vintage look.

Yet none of it ever feels stuffy, or old-fashioned. The designers infused the property with clean lines and added a touch of the contemporary black-and-white leitmotiv. Gleaming chrome fixtures and the latest technology and electronics are part of the fabric of the resort too — the guest suites and villas have Bang & Olufsen TVs and in-room iPads with hundreds of films and an extensive selection of music.

The hotel looks larger than it is, thanks to its extensive grounds and generous proportions of the rooms and suites. The mansion has only nine suites on the first floor, and beyond it, spread among manicured gardens are twenty-one villas. The whole thing feels less like a hotel and more like a rich friend’s tropical holiday estate.

More than a weekend stay

Apart from sightseeing and sea trips, the resort offers a range of inventive activities, including petanque, croquet, archery sessions as well as blokart sailing. Blokarts are wind-powered go-karts, for which the vast beach at low tide allows plenty of roaming space. Finally, the “night mangrove tour” is magical. It’s a quiet boat ride in the mangrove forest, by moonlight, surrounded by… fireflies! A delightful sight.

Our stay at The Sanchaya, of just a couple of days, was too short to try out all of it, but the feeling we were leaving with was that we could have easily stayed for longer. Mind you, this was not just because of the attractions.

The staff at the Sanchaya have created a unique atmosphere which made us feel as comfortable as at home — and we simply enjoyed hanging out at the various spots, be it in the library, by the pool, or staying extra long for the excellent breakfast.

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in our opinion

The Sanchaya brings a new dimension of contemporary lifestyle and refined luxury to Bintan Island, just a stone's throw from Singapore. It's perfect for luxury travelers who are looking for a beautiful place to unwind and relax for a few days.

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What we love

• The design overall. Grand and gleaming, the Sanchaya tickled our aesthetic senses in a way that very few resorts can. The gardens are fantastically well-maintained too.
• The guest accommodation is simply lovely. There are no bad-looking rooms — they just differ in size. Bathrooms are equipped with claw bathtubs and they shine with white tiles and chrome.
• The best of the best is the splendid Vanda Villa, which is made up of three houses (with multiple bedrooms) overlooking a private swimming pool. We recommend it for a family or a group of friends.
• VIP-style fast-track immigration and ferry assistance on the way from Singapore. The hotel has a private VIP lounge in the ferry terminal, so you’ll be relaxing with tea or champagne while someone deals with your luggage and paperwork.
• Excellent food. The à la carte breakfast was our favorite — not only because of the menu (truffle-scented eggs and goat’s cheese frittata were our picks…) but made even better by the staff, who was ready to give us tips on which bread to toast to make the thing extra special.
• Art Installations! At the time of our visit, there were some pieces by the Venice-Biennale artist Kumari Nahappan. This included the big red “seeds” in the main lobby pond, floating freely and constantly being stirred by the light breeze (thanks to which the pond never looked the same).
• An Old World gentlemen’s club atmosphere in the dining room, in the bar, and in the library. Which, by the way, is well stocked with quality books. A rarity even in the best resorts.
• Proximity to Singapore. It's a good idea to add The Sanchaya to the itinerary when visiting the city, combining a city break with a great beach holiday.

What you should know

• The resort is conveniently located near Singapore, but getting here is a journey of several phases, depending on the method of travel. To get here by ferry requires a drive to and from the ferry terminals and a 50-minute sea voyage to Indonesia itself.
• The beach is beautiful, but the low tide exposes a large swath of the seabed. The resort uses it to advantage, offering blokart sailing (wind-powered go-karts. Available from December to March).
• The hotel is not a bad choice for guests with disabilities, as some villas are adapted for wheelchair users. There are no elevators in the main mansion though.
• Wi-Fi is included and it works well, but it is not password-protected. Make sure you have a VPN on your devices set up prior to travel (a good VPN option is offered by the Premium version of Dashlane, as it's an app that will also keep all your passwords locked safe).